Join us at Little Jumbo for CRAFT: Authors in Conversation, a new series conceived and hosted by New York Times bestselling author Denise Kiernan! Little Jumbo, located at 241 Broadway Street in Asheville, features classic and classically-inspired craft cocktails, food, live music and more. Their staff will create a specialty cocktail or mocktail for each event. The doors will open at 2:30 pm and the event will begin at 3:00.  If you are not already a Little Jumbo member, there is one-time $1.00 fee. The event is otherwise free of charge and Little Jumbo offers free parking at the corner of Broadway and Monroe. Visit https://www.littlejumbobar.com/ for more information.

A small number of reserved seats will be available to those who purchase the featured book from Malaprop’s prior to the event. Additional seating and standing room will be allotted on a first-come, first-served basis. 

Starting off CRAFT’s inaugural year is New York City author Ada Calhoun, who will join Kiernan to discuss, Why We Can’t Sleep: Women’s New Midlife Crisis, an expansion of Calhoun’s viral story for Oprah.com about the distinct issues facing Generation X women. She and Kiernan will discuss the book, Calhoun’s inspiration and research, and the craft of writing at the event. 

Calhoun is also the author of Wedding Toasts I’ll Never Give and St. Marks Is Dead. Calhoun has worked as an A-list ghostwriter, collaborating on fourteen nonfiction books, including several New York Times bestsellers. She has written for Time, National Geographic Traveler, O: The Oprah magazine, the Times Literary Supplement, The New Republic, Billboard, Cosmopolitan and Redbook and her national news reporting has won multiple awards. 

Denise Kiernan is an author, journalist and producer whose latest book, The Last Castle, was an instant New York Times bestseller in both hardcover and paperback, as well as a Wall Street Journal bestseller. Her previous title, The Girls of Atomic City, is a New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and NPR bestseller and has been published in seven languages. 

oin us to celebrate the launch of Things That Women Do, by Cynn Chadwick. Marie Hefley, editor of the Great Smokies Review, will moderate a panel discussion between Chadwick and authors Vicki Lane, Mildred Barya, Laura Hope-Gill, Jennifer McGaha, and Ellen J. Perry.

After Anna Shields receives an invitation from her estranged Aunt Lydia, she flies to Tennessee to find a number of older women-Tasha, Sadie, and Chloe-also living on Lydia’s farm. Losing power during a blizzard, the women share dark and startling secrets. Skating between past and present, they reveal frighteningly desperate things that they have done. Anna begins to realize, to her shock, that these things are connected to her own past and become key to her future.

Cynn Chadwick is an author of seven novels: Cat Rising, Girls With Hammers, Babies, Bikes, and Broads, Cutting Loose, Angels, and Manners, As The Table Turns, and That’s Karma, Baby… Her books have been nominated for the Lambda, Golden Crown, and Stonewall Literary Awards. Over the course of her career, she has done readings and speaking engagements including: Saints and Sinners Literary Festival in New Orleans, The Authors’ Arena at Book Expo America in Chicago, Human Rights Campaign Headquarters, DC, AWP in Atlanta, Amelia Island Book Festival, FL, Malaprop’s Bookstore/Cafe, Asheville and UNCA are just a few of her past speaking and reading engagements. She holds a BA from Norwich University and both an MA and MFA from Goddard College in Vermont. Over the last, nearly, thirty years, she taught creative writing to fifth-graders and senior citizens, teachers and homeless teens, college students and convicted felons and have been equally touched by each of their stories. She lives with her wife Elenna and their Springer Spaniel, The Amazing Andy, in the Blue Ridge Mountains is where she taught in the English Department and Creative Writing program at the University of North Carolina at Asheville.

Mary Cassatt Miller falls for famous photojournalist Ethan Graham. But it’s complicated. For months at a time, Ethan’s work takes him to Afghanistan, and Cass, who’s passionate about her job in Atlanta, wants a husband who comes home at night. Then, there’s the issue of family–he wants one; she doesn’t.

What they do want is a life together, so Ethan agrees that after three years, he will stop traveling–whether Cass agrees to children or not. But for Cass, who grew up with a mother who didn’t want her and a father who was never home, even thinking about children is troubling.
Now, nine weeks before their third anniversary, Cass wonders whether Ethan will try to squeeze in one final trip to Afghanistan. When he does, she’s unsure if he will ever give up the work he loves. And if he won’t, well, she will not repeat the life her parents had.
As the clock counts down, it doesn’t help that Singer, the artist-bartender, is always in Atlanta, and the enthralling Setara, the subject of Ethan’s most famous photograph, is also his business partner. Then, a new danger in Afghanistan changes everything.
In this elegant and honest debut novel, Cass and Ethan must navigate that fine line between the things they want for themselves and the life they want together, and it appears that Cass will have to choose one or the other.

Cynthia Newberry Martin grew up in Atlanta, Georgia. After first practicing law, she earned an MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts. Her website features the How We Spend Our Days series for writers. She lives in Columbus, Georgia, with her husband, and in Provincetown in a little house by the water. Tidal Flats is her first novel.

This event is free and open to the public. We ask that you purchase the books you want to be signed at our events from Malaprop’s. When you do this you are not only supporting the work it takes to run an events program, you are also telling the publishers that they should keep sending authors here. Can’t make it to the store for the event? Call us or order the book on our website in advance, and we’ll get it signed for you. Make sure you write your preferences in the comments if you purchase online.

Join us to kick of the tour for Nick Bruel’s newest book!

See Kitty as you’ve never seen her before: EXERCISING (reluctantly) in the latest installment of the phenomenally successful New York Times–bestelling series. Kitty is terribly out of shape—she can barely torment Puppy without needing a break to huff and puff! When Kitty’s owner catches her wheezing, Kitty is told it’s time to EXERCISE. It takes some serious convincing, a high-stakes competition, and a little bit of trickery but eventually Kitty gets into the competitive spirit . . . albeit reluctantly. What did you expect? Will our favorite feline friend learn what it means to be a good sport? Find out in this hilarious addition to the Bad Kitty series.

Nick Bruel is the author and illustrator of the phenomenally successful Bad Kitty series, including the 2012 and 2013 CBC Children’s Choice Book Award winners Bad Kitty Meets the Baby and Bad Kitty for President. Nick has also written and illustrated popular picture books, including A Wonderful Year. Nick lives with his wife and daughter in Westchester, New York. nickbruel.com

This event is free and open to the public. We ask that you purchase the books you want to be signed at our events from Malaprop’s. When you do this you are not only supporting the work it takes to run an events program, you are also telling the publishers that they should keep sending authors here. Can’t make it to the store for the event? Call us or order the book on our website in advance, and we’ll get it signed for you. Make sure you write your preferences in the comments if you purchase online.

See Kitty as you’ve never seen her before: EXERCISING (reluctantly) in the latest installment of the phenomenally successful New York Times–bestelling series. Kitty is terribly out of shape—she can barely torment Puppy without needing a break to huff and puff! When Kitty’s owner catches her wheezing, Kitty is told it’s time to EXERCISE. It takes some serious convincing, a high-stakes competition, and a little bit of trickery but eventually Kitty gets into the competitive spirit . . . albeit reluctantly. What did you expect? Will our favorite feline friend learn what it means to be a good sport? Find out in this hilarious addition to the Bad Kitty series.

Nick Bruel is the author and illustrator of the phenomenally successful Bad Kitty series, including the CBC Children’s Choice Book Award winners Bad Kitty Meets the Baby and Bad Kitty for President.

Effectively managing weeds can be the most labor-intensive task for ecological crop and vegetable production. This one-day workshop will cover common weed biology, ecology, and identification. You will also learn preventative as well as mechanical and cultural practices you can implement on your farm to reduce weed pressure, save time, and money.

On Sat., Feb. 1, 10 to 11:30 am, John Bowen and Barb Harrison, Buncombe Master Gardener Volunteers, will hold workshops on Starting Seeds Indoors and How to Sharpen Pruning Tools.

John will discuss how to start your seeds indoors and their requirements. He will talk about supplies, when to start, soil, light, water, scarification, stratification, and more. We will provide you with free materials to get you started ~ seed starter soil, containers, and seeds to take home (limited quantities). Please bring your small pruning tools as Barb will demonstrate how to sharpen them. After the demo, we will have tables set-up for you to sharpen your tools to get them ready for your chores.

Workshops are held at the Black Mountain Library’s Education Room at 105 N. Dougherty Street. Our presentations are in partnership with Black Mountain Blooms Seed Lending Library and Buncombe County Extension Master Gardener Volunteers.

Farming on a small scale requires a variety of production, management and business skills. After the initial start-up years, it can be challenging to understand what your financial numbers and production records mean for your business and enterprise development, and then how to make decisions to move your business forward.This 4-hour training will dig deep into  enterprise development and adaptive management for beginning and experienced small farmers.

Explore & Utilize:

1. Strategic business planning tools & techniques
2. Established farmers recordkeeping and decision-making processes
3. Adaptive decision-making with your own farm records

Explore Sustainable Farming

If you’re in the exploratory stages of starting your own farm, this entry-level workshop is designed just for you. You will receive practical, common-sense information on sustainable farming and how to move forward.

Learn about sustainable farming careers in Western North Carolina.

Discover and assess your resources, skills and farming intentions.

Begin to develop an educational plan toward farming.

Connect with regional training opportunities and support networks.

Prioritize your next steps toward your farming goals.

Hear from experienced farmers running successful farms in WNC.

One-Day Workshop on Land-Based Living

Homestead Dreams is an entry-level workshop designed to help you incorporate small-scale sustainability and self-sufficiency into your life. Whether you own or rent a home, or live in a rural or urban setting, you can move towards self-reliance now.

One-Day Workshop on Land-Based Living

Homestead Dreams is an entry-level workshop designed to help you incorporate small-scale sustainability and self-sufficiency into your life. Whether you own or rent a home, or live in a rural or urban setting, you can move towards self-reliance now.